Sit and veg

     Wow, what a whirlwind week.  Eldest son came for a week between his school and his summer job to help us with work that we either lack the skill to do or for reasons of safety, shouldn't do.  Over the years, I have developed some carpentry skills, can operate safely, a table saw, a circular saw, power drills and sanders, so I make a good carpenter's helper, but I don't do very good on my own when it come to making items bigger than a bird house or a spice rack.  Given instructions, I can follow them. 
     The week involved moving a bi-fold door, then building, finishing and hanging a new door, see post from Wednesday the 22nd.  I was a cutter and holder on this project.  This was a project for which we lacked the skills.
     The main job for which safety was an issue, was going up on the metal roof of the front porch and the front of the house and staining the 3 dormers.  Our son who spent 10 years between his bachelors degree and his masters degree doing carpentry and stone mason work in New Orleans, Asheville, and on our log home, and is still young enough and flexible enough to get up there safely, took care of that job.  I would go 2/3 the way up the ladder to hand him items he needed, collected items he no longer needed, but otherwise worked on other projects.  He spent the better part of a day up there only to have horrendous thunderstorms that night and we worried that the stain would be damaged.  It seemed to have survived ok, but it then rained for the next two day off and on.  Friday morning, it finally cleared, but the wind was howling and we were a bit fearful for him going up again, but he did and managed to finish the job. 
     On the rainy days, he worked on building a chicken ark/tractor, a portable coop and run for the meat birds, to get them out of the temporary pen that I put together a few weeks ago, in hopes that I will continue to raise meat birds for him.

Chicken ark minus roof

     On Thursday morning, while waiting to see if it would clear and dry off, we got in about an hour at the shooting range for some target practice. Since it didn't clear,  he was working on constructing the ark and I was learning home brewing and made 10 gallons of beautiful stout style beer that is burbling happily in the root cellar.  Friday morning, I got up early and made the third batch, putting another 5 gallons working with the other 10 and then worked on the ark while he finished the staining.  We finally quit after 5 p.m., cleaned up and drove the four plus hours to Northern Virginia to return him home arriving at midnight.  The ark is not quite finished and another of our tasks not completed, so he and our grandson are going to ride the bus back down next weekend to finish those jobs and try to get the back deck re-stained.

15 gallons of racked stout fermenting

     This morning was spent helping with errands, including a clothing run for son, a grocery run for their family and looking for birthday presents for grandson from us and his parents.

Oldest grandson with what is to become his birthday present from his parents along with lessons.

and with his new bike, the gift from us.

    After helping them run errands in Northern Virginia this morning, as they don't have a car and then taking them out to lunch, I did the return drive to the mountains, home just in time to prepare our dinner, feed the chickens and collapse in my recliner.  It has been a busy, busy week and I am tired.